The installation, wiring, mounting and programming are finally completed.
Using Fastrack, I had never ballasted before but I used a 50-50 mix of WS light grey medium ballast and a darker grey kitty litter and think it came out well. I used a 2/3 - 1/3 mix of WS Scenic Glue and hot water to glue the ballast down. I used a plastic bottle with an angled, syringe-like tip to pour the glue mixture out. The Scenic Glue already has a wetting agent in it, so it went pretty quickly. After drying, I then laid down a few green and yellow grass tufts and a lot of black cinder to give the area the dingy, gritty look I wanted.
The non-powered tracks now have some rolling stock sitting on them and the Roundhouse has a post-war 2026 that I restored (with help from the Forum) and a K-Line TMCC Big Boy peeking out. I added some additional details, made a label for the LED lighted track switches, and did my final programming of the TT bridge and assigned track numbers to correspond to the switches.
I'll add some more details - yard lights, maybe a Menards backdrop structure, coaling tower, etc. - over the next few months, but this project is basically done. This is also a good way to justify buying more engines to fill up the tracks !
Overall, the Roundhouse and Turntable construction and installation took about 5-6 months of time at a moderate, but steady pace, given my full-time work and typical family obligations. I'd estimate I have about 60-70 hours into the RH. The TT installation was pretty straightforward, but was complicated in my particular situation because that section of my layout was too thick for the turntable and the mounting tab areas had to be routed out. That necessitated a lot of time spent in several temporary installs of the TT to get measurements, markings, etc.
All in all, I'm very pleased with the way it came out and would recommend both Korber and Millhouse River Studios products for anyone interested in this kind of project. Thanks to all for your advice and comments !!
